Leaf spring rear axle vehicle suspension

A leaf spring suspension for a rear vehicle axle including a rigid rear axle body providing for understeer characteristics of the vehicle, said suspension comprising leaf springs extending in the longitudinal vehicle direction at opposite sides of a longitudinal vehicle center plane, said leaf springs having front and rear end supports by way of which said leaf springs are mounted to a vehicle body, at least the front end supports of said springs having eyelets and bearings received in said eyelets and bolts extending in a transverse vehicle direction through said bearings for mounting said springs to said vehicle body, said rear end supports supporting said springs on said vehicle body in a longitudinally displaceable manner, said front end supports being resilient in a transverse vehicle direction and said rear end supports being stiff in a transverse vehicle direction such that, when said vehicle is subjected to side forces when negotiating curves, a pivot pole is established for said axle by the elastic front and stiff rear end supports of said leaf spring suspension which is behind the center of said rear axle, said bearings in the eyelets of the front ends of said leaf springs including radially spaced inner and outer sleeves with a cylindrical elastic body disposed therebetween, said inner and outer sleeves receiving said cylindrical elastic body having a shape so as to define the annular space for retaining said elastic body at an inclination with respect to a line normal to a pole line extending from said pivot pole to said front leaf supports.